Rescue
by Sapphyre Blu
Summary: It was illogical really. Angela, Hodgins, Zack, Russ, Max…she had known them all longer than she had known Booth. Yet here she was surrounded by friends and family she loved and the only person she really wanted to see was Booth" Oneshot


She had been on the roof for 20 hours. The hunger pangs were starting to bother her more than the gun at her head. Her need to use the restroom was more unpleasant than the handcuffs that kept her wrists behind her back. She was starting to get cold as the sun went further down in the horizon. The only warmth was the gunman's arm around her shoulders. She and Booth had been on many dangerous missions, but none were like this.

The only time she had seen anything like this was in movies she had been forced to watch. She hated the movies though. Each time the female was rescued she would run into the arms of a strong man, or be carried out. It was another illustration of alpha male tendencies, the man showing his strength by carrying the weak woman. 'I won't do that,' she told herself. She wasn't weak. She would walk out and casually hug all the people she loved. She would do whatever the police asked of her and then get looked over by the ambulance before going home with whoever wanted to take her. That's how she mapped it out in her head. Brennan was quite proud of herself. It would be anticlimactic for those watching the news hoping for a dramatic rescue, but it would show her inner strength and independence.

Maybe she would even…her thoughts were quickly broken by the sound of a pop then the gunman went down. She consequently went down with him. Brennan freed herself from his lax grip and saw a bullet hole in his head. A burning sensation indicated that her ear got grazed by a bullet. The police suddenly rushed the roof. Some secured the dead hostage taker. One came to collect Brennan. She was almost disappointed it wasn't Booth.

"You're okay, everything's fine," the officer said as if her were reading about comforting words from a textbook.

"Where is Booth?" she asked as her handcuffs were removed

"He's the one who shot the guy. He's on the roof of the other building. He'll be there when you get down."

Brennan looked far across where she could just barely make out a sniper rifle being disassembled by a man.

She was escorted out of the building after she had convinced the officer to let her use the restroom.

All her friends and family were there. She and Angela had a close friendship. She had known the woman for years. Angela had invested so much of her time helping Brennan realize what a valuable person she was. She had been working with Hodgins and Zack for almost as long as she knew Angela. Both had very distinct personalities that were both impressive and enduring. She loved her dad despite his decisions. She was just starting to form the relationship she had always wanted with him. Then there was her brother. Russ was something else. He had tried to take care of her when her parents left. He continued to keep in contact with her even though she refused to return the favor. Now they were reestablishing the sibling bond that had been broken. They were all there; Angela, Zack, Hodgins, Russ and her Father Max. It was illogical really. Angela, Hodgins, Zack, Russ, Max…she had known them all longer than she had known Booth. Yet here she was surrounded by friends and family she loved and the only person she really wanted to see was Booth.

Her friends and family were being held behind barriers by the authorities. But Booth was one of the authorities. She watched him make his way through the crowds and past the barriers. He was walking up to her just like she had promised herself she would walk out…naturally, on her own authority. For some reason her mind and her legs were not connected. She didn't realize her pace was picking up until she was running. She ran past her long time friend, past her long time coworkers, past her brother, past her father and straight to Booth. Once she got to him she broke another one of her promises. She jumped on him wrapping her legs around his waist and her arms around his neck before resting her head on his shoulder.

She was letting him show off his alpha male tendencies by letting him carry her. Alpha male tendencies be damned. Booth was comfort. Booth was safety.

"You're okay. You're safe now Bones." His words were real. Unlike the mechanical platitudes the officer had spoken to her, Booth words sank down to her very core.

"You need to let me go," he told after a short period of time. Reflexively, she held him tighter.

"C'mon Bones, the EMT want to look you over."

She finally relented and let Booth set her down at the back of an ambulance. The EMTs checked her vitals and patched up the cut on her ear. Booth reached into his pocket and pulled out a granola bar. He opened it and gave it to her.

She only nodded her thanks before eating it down. Booth had his arm around her shoulders. If it had only been a year ago she would have wriggled out of his grasp. Now she found herself leaning into him. The EMTs released her later and the authorities started letting her friends and family come in one at a time. She was getting more hugs than she was used to getting in a day.

Later, in the car with Booth, she got upset when she realized she broke all the promises she made to herself. She finally confessed to Booth how weak she must have looked running to him. He looked at her confused.

"Bones, it's not weak to want human contact."

Weak, or not if her rescue didn't go the way she wanted it to at least she was an author. Her character, Kathy, could have a different rescue at least.


End file.
